


Dangerous Gamble

by Cinder



Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, I could probably also title this "Harry and Macy are self sacrificing idiots"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 00:50:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17652863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinder/pseuds/Cinder
Summary: When a dangerous demonic object is located at a magical casino, it's up to Macy and Harry (posing as a married couple) to infiltrate the casino and find the object. What could go wrong?(A lot. A lot can go wrong.)*Takes place after 1.10





	Dangerous Gamble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gellsbells](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gellsbells/gifts).



“The first thing to know,” Harry said, “is to not eat or drink anything in the casino.” He was fiddling with his cufflinks, betraying how nervous he was.

“What, is it like in Alice in Wonderland?” Maggie asked.

Mel snorted. She was sitting on Macy’s bed, watching her sisters and Whitelighter. “Do you think she’s going to pick up a cup with a message that says ‘Drink me’?”

Harry shook his head. “This is no joke. One sip of fae wine, and you could lose your senses entirely.” He fiddled with the links some more. “The second thing to know, is to never, ever bet.” 

Macy chuckled. “I know that.”

Harry didn’t grin. “I mean it. Don’t make a bet, even a small one. That’s how they lure you in. One minute you’re betting a penny, the next you’ve got your soul on the line.”

He looked so solemn that Macy nodded, and said “I promise”, just to put Harry more at ease.

“Isn’t this all common sense?” Maggie asked. She was wrapping a shawl – dark blue with golden sparkles – around Macy’s shoulders. It glistened beautifully in the light.

Harry shook his head. “I cannot stress just how dangerous a demon casino is,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the music box, I wouldn’t even consider going near it,” Harry said. 

That wasn’t exactly comforting, but there wasn’t exactly any other choice. The music box – an old demonic artifact - had already left a wake of bodies wherever it went, and in the hands of a demon, it could kill countless more. 

“Well,” Maggie said, standing back to admire Macy. “At the very least, you’ll be the best looking couple in the place.”

At those words, Harry started fiddling with his cufflinks again, avoiding Macy’s gaze. It wasn’t exactly the most flattering thing, but he didn’t have any other choice, she was the only one available to play his wife.

Mel had said that she couldn’t make a convincing married couple with Harry, and Harry had flat out refused to let Maggie go – her experience in Tartarus, he said, left her too vulnerable to the casino.

“The way these casinos work is to appeal to the thing you want the most. For people who have been through traumatic experiences, it can be particularly tempting to try to take away the bad memories.” 

Maggie, pouting, had consoled herself by choosing Macy’s dress and doing her clothes and hair. She had wonderful taste – Macy’s dress was midnight blue, with golden jewelry accenting the dress. When she looked in the mirror now, Macy felt like she had at the Halloween party, when Maggie had first dressed her up as Persephone: strong and beautiful. 

“You look so pretty,” Maggie said, beaming. Mel grinned, giving her the thumbs up. Then Maggie and Mel both looked at Harry, who finally stopped fiddling with his cufflinks to look at her. 

“You look…very nice,” Harry said. He gave her a weak smile.

Maggie’s smile faded and she looked confused, while Mel frowned. “Well, don’t overstate it.”

“I didn’t mean –“ Harry sighed. Then held out his arm, giving Macy another smile. “Shall we?” 

Macy looped her arm through his, and with a jolt, Maggie’s room disappeared as they orbed away.

*

Macy and Harry reappeared in a large garden, looking up at a mansion. Macy blinked in surprise. 

“For a demon casino, I thought it would be more…underground.”

Harry shook his head. “These events are always ostentatious. And there are plenty of spells to conceal these places from non-magical eyes.” They began to walk up towards the house. 

“Where do you think the music box will be?” 

“An object that valuable will be at a high rollers’ table.”

Something occurred to Macy. “But to get to the high rollers’ table we’d have to bet something valuable –“ She turned to Harry, her blood running cold. “What are you betting?”

Harry avoided her eyes. “If we don’t get that music box, countless people will lose their –“

“Harry, _what are you betting_?”

He cleared his threat. “Myself.”

Macy stopped. “No.”

“Macy –“

“No.” She stood in the middle of the lawn, refusing to move another inch. “You are not betting your soul.”

“We don’t have a choice. I am a Whitelighter, I’m quite prepared to put myself on the line –“

Macy crossed her arms. “There has to be another way.” Then an idea occurred to her. “We’ll steal it.”

“No!” Harry looked alarmed. “If we get caught then we’ll both lose our souls.” 

“But if we get away with it, then neither of us will lose their souls.”

“No,” Harry said firmly.

“I’m not going to stand around and watch while you risk your soul!” 

“But there isn’t –“

“A choice,” Macy said, her hands curling into fists. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. “Fine.” She began to march up to the house, her arm no longer inside Harry’s. “Let’s go.”

“Macy –“

“I’ll go inside and help you get the music box, but I’m not going to stand around and look like a happy wife while you throw your soul on the betting table.” 

“Macy,” Harry said urgently. “Please.” He strode quickly to keep up with her. “We need to keep our cover.”

“Our cover as husband and wife?” Macy said, turning to face him. “What kind of wife would I be if I let you throw your soul away?”

“One who understands that sometimes you must put yourself on the line for the greater good,”  Harry said. He looked so sincere, so painfully earnest, that Macy felt herself soften. Then an idea occurred to her. 

“Fine. We’ll get the music box,” she said. “For the greater good.” This time she was the one who offered her arm. Harry looped his arm around it. 

As the got closer to the house, Macy saw a figure standing outside the entrance door. 

“Guard,” Harry said. “To make sure no one comes in who is trying to break up the party.”

“So technically: us,” Macy said.

“Well, we are planning on betting, rather than disrupting the event, so actually we should be okay. Unfortunately, they might not be inclined to trust that we’re just here to bet, since I’m a Whitelighter, and Whitelighters are normally associated with the Elders. And the Elders are quite opposed to these little parties.”

“Then why don’t they come in here and just grab the music box?”  

“Sometimes these parties are useful for finding demons on the run, or who are trying to remain hidden. The Elders shut most of the parities down, but they ‘miss’ a few, for situations like these.” 

So bending the rules was okay in terms of secret casinos, but not in saving Whitelighters from Tartarus? Macy pressed her lips together, but didn’t say anything. Now wasn’t the time to get into the ethics of the Elders.

As the approached the doorman, Harry spoke again. “Our first test is to get past him. He’ll be able to sense what type of magical being we are, and he won’t be happy at trying to let a Whitelighter in here.”

When they reached the door, Harry’s grip on Macy’s arm tightened. “Good evening,” he said, nodding at the doorman.

The doorman grunted. “Evenin’.” Then he turned to Macy, his eyes meeting hers. As the doorman stared into her eyes, Macy had the uncomfortable feeling that he was trying to peer into her mind. After a second, his gaze softened – he was still staring at her, but his stare was less penetrating.

“A witch,” the doorman said. Then he turned to Harry, his eyes narrowed. There was a few seconds pause as he stared into Harry’s eyes. “And a Whitelighter.” The doorman grunted. “We don’t get many of your kind around here.” He looked closely at Harry. “Normally too high and mighty for this type of thing. “ 

Macy smiled, moving to stand even closer to Harry. “Let’s just say that after the Elders condemned our marriage, we don’t really care much about their rules anymore.” She placed a hand on Harry’s chest, momentarily getting distracted as she felt the beating of his heart.

“Huh.” The doorman smirked at her, and Macy had to repress a shudder. “Got hitched without the Elders knowing, huh?”

“To say they weren’t pleased is an understatement,” Harry said. 

“I don’t blame you,” the doorman said, staring at Macy. Harry stepped slightly in front of Macy, blocking her from the doorman’s sight.

“May we go inside now?”

Macy held her breath as the doorman considered them. Then he shrugged, and opened the door.

“Thank you,” Harry said, walking inside with Macy. 

If he hadn’t been such a creep, Macy almost would have felt bad that the guy was probably going to get fired and/or killed by his bosses tonight.

As she walked through the door, Macy couldn’t help but be impressed. It looked as though the entire first floor had been opened up and was one massive room. The entire place was filled with tables, with small groups of people clustered around each one. Waiters walked past them, carrying trays of fae wine and appetizers.

“Remember, no food, no drink,” Harry murmured.

Macy nodded. As a waiter passed them, Macy felt a sense of unease. She stared after them, puzzled. Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t tell what.

Harry had noticed her preoccupation. He leaned in close; Macy could smell his cologne. “Look into their eyes,” he said.

Macy stopped a passing waiter and took a glass of wine. As she did so, she glanced at the waiter’s eyes. They were grey. Not the warm, life-filled eyes that human eyes normally had. They were flat and dull, with a newspaper grey color. Macy instinctively drew back, but the waiter didn’t seem to be offended or even notice. They just stared at Macy, and when she didn’t make a move towards their trey again, the waiter continued walking through the room.

“That’s the eyes of someone whose soul has been taken,” Harry said. “When they bet against the house, then they become the…staff…here. Enslaved and used as labor.” Harry’s voice was thick with disgust. 

Macy’s stomach turned. Despite all her intentions to not bicker about the Elders, she couldn’t help it. “The Elders let these casinos go on, knowing what happens here?”

Harry sighed. “Yes. But again, they see these casinos as worth keeping open to catch any major threats. They view it as trying to save many versus trying to save a few.” Macy was relieved to hear the disappointment in his voice.  She wanted to say more, but next to her, Harry stiffened. She glanced at his face, and was alarmed to see all the color drain out of it. She followed his gaze, and felt her own body tense. 

“Is that –“ 

“Alastair,” Harry said, horror struck. The demon was walking towards the door. In just a minute, he would walk past them.

Macy wondered what the odds were that he had forgotten how she and her sisters had kicked his ass and sent him running from Hilltowne. She figured it was zero.

Harry looked frantically around, clearly trying to find a place to hide, but it was too late. Alastair would be walking by them in a matter of seconds. Without thinking, Macy grabbed Harry by his lapels and pulled him towards her, kissing him.

For a second Harry was still against her, shocked by the kiss. Then his hands were going to her waist, one hand lingering there and the other moving rapidly up her back, pulling her closer to him. Macy leaned into his touch, trying desperately to get closer to him. There was no way to get closer, they were already pressed against each other, but it didn’t feel like enough.  Macy wanted, needed more.

It was only 30 seconds into the kiss that Macy remembered that they were trying to avoid Alastair. She pulled Harry by the lapels to what looked like a small closet, her lips on his the whole time. When the closet door closed behind them, Macy pulled away from the kiss. Harry simply stood there. For a second, his face looked bewildered, looking adorably confused as to why they weren’t still kissing. Then his senses seemed to come back, and he cleared his throat.

“Well, we avoided Alastair,” he said. 

“I’m sorry,” Macy said.

Harry blinked rapidly, looking as though he was trying to regain his balance. “For what?” 

“I normally don’t just randomly grab and kiss people –“ 

Harry smiled gently at her. “I know,” he said.

“I prefer to give them a little notice,” Macy said. She moved again towards Harry. She moved her face slowly towards him, stopping when her lips were just centimeters away from his. She could see Harry starring down at her, could practically see his thought process as he warred with what was proper for a Whitelighter and what he wanted. Finally, his lips came down to meet hers. This time the kiss was longer, sweeter. Urgent, but in a different way. When they finally broke away, Macy smiled up at Harry. 

“Consider it a kiss for luck,” Macy said. 

Harry blinked, dazed. “That was –“ He broke off, chuckling softly. He looked away, blushing.

Macy smiled for a second, and then the grin slid off her face. She raised a hand, focusing on Harry. 

The smile on Harry’s face was replaced with a confused look. “Macy?” he asked, struggling to move. Macy kept her powers trained on him, immobilizing him. “Macy, what are you –“ 

Macy threw a hand forward, and Harry flew backward, slamming into the wall. He slumped to the ground, unconscious. She stepped forward, looking grimly down at him.

“I already told you I wasn’t going to let you risk your soul.” 

*

Macy walked quickly through the casino, her eyes darting over every table, looking for the music box. She knew she only had a few minutes until Harry regained consciousness, and if he found her before she had a chance to bet, there was no hope. He’d bet his own soul a million times over before he would let her risk her soul. 

As she walked through the tables, she could hear whispers. 

“You want memories.” 

“You want the truth.” 

“You want to know why you have the darkness.” 

Macy’s eyes darted around, but she didn’t see who was speaking the words. Then it occurred to her that the game itself was calling to her, just as Harry had warned it would. Every table that she passed tempted her with the things she wanted the most.

Then, one whisper stood out.

“You want to save the Whitelighter.”

It was coming from a table in a corner of the room, tucked away from most of the chaos. Macy began to make her way to it, the hair raising on her arms as she did so. Every instinct was screaming to run away, not walk towards, the table. 

The beings around the table were like nothing Macy had ever seen, even with months of fighting demons. There were creatures with purple skin, some with ten eyes, one even had several tentacles, several of which were clutching wine glasses. From how the way they were swaying, Macy guessed they had already had several drinks of fae wine. 

In the center of the table was a collection of items – mortal money in all different currencies, a necklace with a sapphire the size of Macy’s fist, and, oddly enough, what appeared to be a fiddle. In the pile was a glossy black music box, with a small collection of precious stones on the lid.

Macy took a seat at the table, trying not to blush when several heads (including two on one neck) swiveled in her direction. She straightened her shoulders, and let her eyes roam around the table, trying to look as though she gambled in illicit demon casinos every week. 

After a few more seconds, the heads all turned towards the purple skinned demon, who was wearing a black vest and standing with an air of authority. Macy guessed he was the dealer.

For a few rounds, Macy simply watched every bet and game, trying to understand everything. She had never gone to a casino before – gambling had never appealed to her. She was too cautious by nature to enjoy it. 

The game was roulette, which was a relief. The game was so simple and well known that even with her lack of gambling knowledge, Macy knew the basic rules of the game. Ball rolls around in the giant circle, lands on red or black, and hopefully it landed on the color and/or number you bet on. 

The more unusual part was how you bet. While several people threw what Macy assumed were rare, precious objects onto the table, several did bet their souls. Whenever someone asked to bet their soul, the dealer would approach them with a needle and a small golden bowl. The dealer would pluck the finger of the creature asking to bet their soul, and a small drop of blood - sometimes red, sometimes green, sometimes highlighter yellow, would fall into the bowl. For a second, nothing would happen, then the runes on the side of the bowl would glow, and the blood would transform. Sometimes the droplet would form a skull, sometimes it would glow golden. From what Macy could see, the bowl appeared to show the nature of the being’s soul, and to see whether it was precious enough to be bet at the table.

Several of the beings that tried to bet their souls were allowed the continue (the being with the crossbones sign was not), and Macy watched several lose their souls in quick succession. As more and more beings went grey, Macy felt her nerve drop lower and lower, until finally she knew she couldn’t just watch anymore, that if she did, then she’d lose all her courage and wouldn’t be able to bet. And then Harry would have to, and she’d have to see all the life drain out of him, see his eyes go flat and grey.

When the dealer announced, once again, that they were taking bets, Macy cleared her throat. The dealer and the beings all turned to look at her. 

“I’d like to bet my soul,” Macy said. The dealer approached her, bowl in one hand, needle in the other. Macy shook her head. She looked at the music box in the center of the table. 

“I’d specifically like to bet for that music box,” Macy said. 

All the beings at the table turned to a demon with navy blue skin and red eyes, drumming his clawed fingers on the table. He looked Macy up and down, then shook his head. “I’m taking the soul of an ordinary witch.”

“I’m not an ordinary witch,” Macy said, holding out her hand.

The needle pricked her finger, and the drop of blood fell into the basin. The drop separated into two drops, one dazzling white, the other onyx back. Both glowed faintly. The dealer pressed their hand against the bowl, eyes closing for a moment as they figured out the value of the blood.

“The blood of a Charmed One.”

In the basin, the black and white drops stopped glowing, and slowly turned back to their normal ruby color.

The demon’s mouth dropped open. 

Macy raised an eyebrow, her face carefully impassive. “Do we have a deal?”

The demon nodded.

At the nod, Macy felt her blood run cold. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as she and the demon chose their roulette colors, as the dealer spun the wheel, as the wheel spun rapidly, a whirl of red and black, until it began to slow, until the ball slid neatly into a pitch black square.

Macy had bet on red.

The dealer turned to Macy. “You lose." 

Then everything went black.

*

“Macy, Macy wake up, please!”

Someone’s head was buried in her shoulder. Macy could fell its weight, feel the body shaking beneath it. She was being held in someone’s arms, rather tightly. She forced her eyes open, and tried to move out of the person’s grip. As soon as she moved, the person drew back, eyes wide.

“Macy!”

“Harry?” Macy blinked up at him. “Why ‘m not grey?” Macy slurred, dazed.

“You were, for a few minutes,” Harry said. “I regained consciousness and began searching for you.” He swallowed hard. “I found you just as you lost the game.”

“Oh.”

“I bet for your soul and the music box.”

_“What?”_

“You tried to save my soul, it was only fair that I try to save yours.”

“No, you weren’t supposed to –“

“ _You_ weren’t supposed to bet –“ Harry said, suddenly looking furious. “It was supposed to be me.”

“I wasn’t going to let it be you!” Macy yelled, just as furious. “You’ve already lost all your human memories, your human life, I couldn’t let you lose your soul too.” Harry just stared at her. “I’m not going to apologize,” Macy said.

Harry suddenly let go of her. “Do you know what losing you would have done to your sisters?”

“Do you know what losing _you_ would have done to my sisters?” Macy fired back. “You matter to us, and you need to accept that!” She barely refrained from adding ‘you idiot’. She pushed herself out of Harry’s arms, and tried to stand up. She staggered slightly, and Harry automatically reached out an arm to steady her. She pulled away, still irritated.

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around. They were in a small but elegant room.

“It’s a side room,” Harry said. “There are several. People frequently need to cool off from the betting. Or, in some cases,” he said, eyeing Macy, “they need to wait for their charges to revive after they’ve had their souls stolen.”

“I’m still not apologizing,” Macy said, crossing her arms. They were both quiet for a moment, and then she added, “Thank you for saving my soul.”

“You’re welcome,” Harry said. “Thank you for trying to save mine.”

They caught eyes with one another, and Macy felt a flush creeping to her cheeks. An awkward silence descended on them.

“So you have the music box?” Macy asked, looking for anything to say. 

“Yes,” Harry said. He gestured to a chair, which held the music box. “Luckily, the demon was willing to trade both the box and your soul for a chance to get my soul.” He frowned. “He seemed excited about having a Charmed One and her Whitelighter. Sort of a set, if you will.”

Macy shuddered, resisting the urge to go outside and telekinetically fling the demon all over the room.

“Can we go home?” she asked instead.

“That’s a very good idea,” Harry said. He extended an arm to her, and Macy took it. When she still wobbled slightly while waking to the door, Harry put the arm around her shoulders. Macy leaned her head on his shoulder, too tired to keep herself upright.

*

“So how’d it go?” Mel asked. She and Maggie had been sitting on the couch, sharing a bowl of popcorn and watching a movie when Macy and Harry had orbed in.  

“I bet my soul away, and then Harry bet his soul to save me, and then we got the box,” Macy said. Next to her, Harry nodded warily. 

Maggie and Mel just stared at them. Maggie’s mouth had dropped so far open that Macy could have easily tossed in a few pieces of popcorn. 

“I’m fine,” Macy said, before her sisters could release a storm of questions.

“As am I,” Harry said. He raised the music box. “I’ll go put this in the attic.”

“And I’m going to go take a bubble bath, and try to scrub this whole night out of my mind,” Macy said.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mel asked, finally speaking.

“I’m fine. Honesty, I just really want a bubble bath and to sleep.”

“If you need us, let us know,” Maggie said. 

Macy gave a tired nod, and then started upstairs. Harry followed her. They were too tired to speak, but as Macy stepped onto the second landing, she noticed that Harry was still behind her, rather than continuing up to the attic. She turned to him, waiting for the inevitable lecture. 

Harry stared at her, eyes hard. “Macy, I want your solemn promise that in the future, you will never attempt to risk your life for mine.”

Macy rolled her eyes, too exhausted to care if she was coming off as petulant or angry. “No.”

Harry’s face turned red. “Macy –“

“We just went through this. I’m not promising that. You matter to me and to my sisters, and you’re just going to have to deal with that.”

“Absolutely not.” If the situation hadn’t been so irritating, Macy would have laughed out loud as Harry refused to consider that he could matter to people.

Macy crossed her arms. “I don’t think we’re ever going to see eye to eye on this.”

“That’s not acceptable.” Harry’s face was getting angrier and angrier; Macy had never seen him so close to losing his temper before. 

“Are you kidding me?”

“Do you have any idea how I felt, seeing all the life leave you?” Harry said. “Do you have any idea how horrifying it was to watch you lifeless, and empty and… To know if my bet didn’t work, you’d remain that way forever?” His hands were shaking. “I can’t live like that Macy. I can’t live my life on edge, wondering if you’ll be badly hurt – or worse – to save me.”

Suddenly it clicked for Macy. Harry didn’t want to lose her because he didn’t want any harm to come to her, because he was her friend, because he couldn’t bear what her loss would do to her sisters…and because it would hurt him too much to lose her.

“Harry,” Macy said, taking his shaking hands. Her anger was gone, replaced a desire to comfort him. 

Harry’s face lost its anger, and Macy saw terror in his eyes. The anger had been a mask, and now it was dropping, leaving a hurt, wounded man.

Macy took his face in her hands, and she could feel him leaning into her touch. After a few seconds, his arms wrapped around her waist.

For several minutes, they simply stood in the hallway, embracing. Then the music box, still in Harry’s hands, rattled. Reluctantly, they pulled away and looked down at it.

“I should probably get this in the attic. Put the proper containment spells around it,” Harry said. 

Macy nodded.

“You know this conversation isn’t over,” Harry said.

Macy nodded again. She had feeling it would never be over, so long as they were alive. She pictured years and years of trying to find a solution for an unsolvable problem – the fact that their job was dangerous, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made. But they could never accept that either one of them would have to be a sacrifice.

On the stairs, Harry hesitated, then turned to her. “By the way, your dress wasn’t…” He stammered, and looked down at the music box. “I mean…you were very…” He sighed. “I didn’t say much about the dress earlier because I didn’t think it was my place, but I must admit, it was very becoming.”

Macy smiled. “Thank you Harry.”


End file.
